Bookbinding



J 1935- J. A. EDEN 1,986,757

VBOOKBINDING Filed May 25, 1934 l EH!" INVENT OR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented .1, 1935 I UNI/[TED STATES PATENT omeg- BOOKBINDING James A. Eden, Springfield, Mam, aasignor to White 8; Wyckofl' Mfg. Company, milyoke, Masa, a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 25, 1934, Serial No. 127,394

10 Claims.

- provision of a novel binding for books whereby the leaves'thereof are permanently bound but are arranged to freely hinge or swing relative to one another. The novel objects of the invention are accomplished by the provision of a novel binding,

binding, and

a novel method of binding a book and apparatus therefor, as will hereinafter appear.

Various novel features and advantages of the invention will be more fully hereinafter referred to in connection with the accompanying description of the preferred form of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a book to explain certain features of the invention;

I Figs. 2 and 3 are side and end elevational views of an apparatus adapted for the practiseof the invention;

Fig. 4 is afragmentary plan view of certain parts of the apparatus shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Fig. 5- is a view similar to Fig. 4 with the parts thereof in a different relation;

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of part of a book to illustrate certain novel features of the Referring now to the drawing more in detail,

the invention will be fully described.

The type of book to which the invention relates is that where a plurality of leaves such as L are. perforated as at 2 adjacent a marginal edge. The book is represented by B.

Leaves for the purpose of disclosing the invention may include sheets which are ruled or not as well as covers and other members such as cards or the like. In any case, the book will consist of a plurality or stack of leaf members.

A helical member 4 is provided which may be of wire or other more or lessrigid but yet bendable material. As a first step in the novel method, the member 4 has its convolutions screwed into the perforations 2 of the stack of leaves in any convenient manner.

When the helical member is screwed into the perforations the leaves are free to hinge or swing on said member 4 but the leaves when opened up are offset. That is, lines or columns of one leaf are offset relative to corresponding columns or lines on an adjacent leaf. This is decidedly ob-l view of the lower jectionable. Furthermore, the helical member when in the perforations of the leaves is not only more or less bendable so as to not afford any appreciable amount of stiffening for the book but the member may unscrew from the book. In other words, the leaves of the book are not permanently bound.

According to this invention after the helical member 4 has been screwed into the perforations of the book it is oflset or distorted to transform the convolutions thereof into substantially closed loops or rings which are joined together by longitudinal members. Then, not only does the binding act as a stiffener for the book but the leaves are permanently bound and in such a way that as they swing relative to one another they swing into alignment. This is because they-swing on rings instead of the turns or angular convolutions of a helical member.

The apparatus of the invention will now be described.

A guide block member 8 has a pair of slides or bars 10 and 11 slidable longitudinally therein. Above the bars 10 and 11 there is a longitudinal bore 12 anda slot 14 leading thereinto which is open at its upper side. While the slides or bars 10 and 11 maybcth be slidable in the member 8, it will be readily appreciated that one of the bars may be fastened in the member 8 while the other may slide relative thereto.

The slides at their upper and inner or adjacent sides are cut away to provide a longitudinal slot 16 therebetween. Transverse slots 18 are provided in the upper sides of the slides which lead into the central slot 16 between the slides, as

shown.

The helical binding member 4 will of course be of a-pitch corresponding to the spacing of the perforations in the book and the slots 18 in the upper sides of the bars 10 are spaced and arranged to receive the turns or convolutions of the helical member. To form the binding the helical member 4 has its turns disposed in the" slots 18 of the slides with the perforated portion of the book in the slot 14 and the binding in the bore 12. In this way the perforated end of the book is suitably guided and supported as is the helical member.

A mandrel 20 preferably having a curved upper side is shown in Fig. 3. This is inserted between the upper side of the slides and the endlof the book toproperly support the book. Thisbar 20 may be of any length desired but will preferably be at. least equal to the width of the book and for clearness in disclosure it has been omitted in Fig. 2.

distance between the convolutions or pitch of the helical member. This may be accomplished by moving one of the slides the full distance or pitch or. by moving both of the bars in opposite directions a half pitch each. It is desirable to shift one or both of the slides so that a certain slot of one slide such as 10 is moved into substantial alignment with a certain slot of the other slide 11 which is adjacent the slot with which the firstnamed certain slot was originally aligned.

As the slides are shifted a portion of each convolution or turn of the helical binding member is ofiset by the action of shoulders 19 of the slots 18. That is, portions of each of the convolutions within the slots are straightened .out in the central slot 16 as shown in Fig. 5.

Simultaneously with the straightening out or offsetting of the turns of the binding the remainder of the turns are formed so that their ends are in substantial alignment. That is, portions of each convolution are straightened out and there is formed simultaneously with this operation a plurality of ring-like loops'24 which are connected by bars 26. r

The loops have their end portions arranged in substantially closed relation with a certain end of one loop connected by a bar to the opposite end of an adjacent loop. When the member 4 has been thus formed with alternate and connected loops and bars there is provided a binding consisting of loops spaced'apart by bars. The closed loops are in the perforations of the leaves of the book so that a permanent binding results.

The leaves may therefore not be removed from the book except by tearing at the perforations. The bars function to stiffen the binder to provide what may be termed a backbone therefor which extends longitudinally of the binding.

It will be observed that in forming the convolutions to provide the bars the diameter of the binding element is decreased somewhat. Because of the mandrel 20 the loops 24 are more or less oval in shape as shown in Fig. 7. Not only does the mandrel assist in providing the loops of oval shape but it protects the book against injury while the loops and bars are being formed. It is not necessary that the loops be oval in shape and they may be round although perhaps slightly smaller in diameter than that of the diameter of the helical member.

There is no particular disadvantage in providing the oval loops because the space between the extreme end of the leaves and outside of the oval loops may be somewhat less than would be the case were the loops made circular in form.

From the foregoing it will be observed that it is possible to readily and easily screw the helical binding member into the perforations of the leaves and then to form a binding having substantially closed and spaced loops joined by longitudinal backbone members. It is possible by means of the invention to bind books of various sizes and thicknesses and to use binding members of various diameters made from various sizes of materials. A book is produced emciently and economically and not only are the leaves permanently bound and arranged to maintain alignment when open but the binding is such as to reiniorce the book or to stifl'en it to the desired ex ent,

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred fomi thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of th. United States is:

1. The method of permanently binding the leaves of a book which are provided with spaced holes along a marginal edge which consists in, screwing a helical binding member into said holes, and then bending a portion of the convolutions thereof between adjacent holes so that substantially closed loops and connecting bars are formed.

2. The method of permanently binding the leaves of a book which are provided with spaced holes along a marginal edge which consists in, screwing a helical binding member into said holes, and then bending a portion of the convolutions thereof between adjacent holes to form substantially closed loops and connecting bars with the end portions of said loops in substantial alignment and closed relation and the said bars extending longitudinally of the binding.

3. The method of permanently binding the leaves of a book which are provided with spaced holes along a marginal edge which consists in, screwing a helically formed binding member into the said holes so the turns of the binding member extend angularly between said holes, and then bending the portions of the member between the holes so that said portions extend longitudinally of the binding to form bars while the remaining portions of the turns are bent into substantially closed loops with opposite ends thereof in substantial alignment, with the opposite ends of the bars connecting opposite ends of the loops.

4. The method of permanently binding the leaves of a book which are provided with spaced holes along a marginal edge which consists in, screwing a helically formed binding member into said holes, simultaneously bending portions of the turns of the member between the holes to provide substantially longitudinally extending bars and loops having opposite ends thereof in substantial alignment with one end of each bar connected to certain ends of said loops and their other ends connected to opposite ends of adjacent loops.

5. Apparatus for binding a book by deforming a helical member screwed into spaced holes.

thereof comprising in combination, a pair of relatively slidable members having a longitudinal groove therebetween at their upper sides and spaced transverse grooves in the said upper side thereof leading into said central groove, the said transverse grooves being adapted to receive the turns of a helical binding, whereby as the said members are moved relative to one another a portion of said turns are bent to form bars connecting loops.

6. Apparatus for binding a book by deforming a helical member screwed into spaced holes thereof comprising in combination, a guide member, a pair oi relatively slidable slides therein having a central longitudinal groove therebetween at the upper side thereof and spaced transverse grooves in said upper side leading into said longitudinal groove for receiving the turns of a helical binding member, whereby as the slides are moved relative to one another the turns of the binding in the transverse grooves are bent to form longitudinal bars in said central groove and the remainder of the said turns are formed into substantially closed'loops connected by said bars.

'7. Apparatus for binding a book by deforming a helical member screwed into spaced holes thereof comprising in combination, a guide member provided with a longitudinal slot for confining the end of a book having holes along said end and a bore leading thereinto for confining a helical binding member screwed into said holes, relatively slidable members having upper sides in said bore provided with a longitudinal central slot therebetween and transverse slots leading into said central slot for receiving the turns ofa helical binding, whereby as the said members are moved relative to one another the turns in said transverse grooves are bent into the central groove to form bars and the remainder of the turns are formed into substantially closed loops with the ends of adjacent loops connected by bars.

8. Apparatus for binding a stack of leaves by bending a helical member screwed into rows of holes therein adjacent the edges thereof comprising in combination, relatively reciprocable members each having coacting slots in corresponding sides thereof for receiving the convolu- 9. Apparatus for binding a stack of leaves by bending portions of a helical binder screwed into rows of holes adjacent the edges thereof comprising in combination, slide members reciprocable longitudinally relative to one another provided with a longitudinal groove therebetween and transverse grooves in corresponding faces thereof intersecting the longitudinal groove spaced apart to receive the portion of the convolutions of said helical binder adjacent the edges of the leaves, a mandrel receivable in the convolutions of the helical binding between the edges of the leaves and the faces of the slide members, whereby as the slide members are reciprocated relative to one another portions of the convolutions of the helical member are bent to form bars extending generally in parallelism with the axis of the heical member which connect the ends of substantially closed loops extending through the holes in said leaves.

10. Apparatus for binding a book by deforming a preformed helical member screwed into a row of spaced holes of the book comprising in combination, separate relatively movable members provided with grooves in corresponding faces thereof for receiving portions of the turns of a helical binding whereby as said members are moved relative to one another the said portions of the turns of the binding are bent to form connecting bars extending longitudinally of the said helical member and substantially closed loops connected together by said bars.

JAMES A. EDEN. 

